http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiesta_Week No specific numbers but it does say the battle of flowers is the second largest parade. I've heard that numerous times. I'm too lazy to look for more stuff but i've always heard that the attendance numbers for both those parades are in the 250,000+ range

I've read about a few festivals in Austin with them touting high turn out numbers and once I got there to visit it myself, I just didn't see that many being there. Going to a lot of concerts then hearing about the crowd numbers, you get to be familiar with the sizes of crowds. The ACL Fest usually has 65,000 people each day at the 3 day concert. At first it was 75,000 then they rolled it back because people were complaining it was too large and crowded. Having gone myself when they had 75,000 there, I know some of the other festivals I've gone to had a considerable less amount, maybe only half that much. City leaders, and event producers will always boost numbers to make it seem more attractive. I don't really blame them, and there's really no crime in it, besides whatever it takes to get people downtown spending money and having fun is a good thing.

Thats great for the city. At least it wasnt all foggy last year, were you couldnt see a thing. Happy new years all...

Oh yeah i did see a star over the weekend in LA. I dont know if any of you watch "Brothers and Sisters" on ABC. But the son the younger one (who signed up for the army after 9-11). I saw him walking down the street in Santa Monica, me and my friend were like oh wow, that i was over it, he he...

We had a small get together at the house New Years Eve and actually watched CNN hoping for some good shots of SA. There were a few good views of the fireworks beginning from the Tower and then over the city but the news guy there to cover the festivities...Rick Sanchez...is such a goober. I remember him from the early 90s on local television (Fox channel 7) when I lived in the Miami area and he was always so full of himself just like Geraldo Rivera. I see he's at CNN now and some things just never change...

There really are that many people along the parade route kornbread, if you ever been there it wouldn't be so hard to believe. And the estimates are compiled by the police who have several copters flying over the area (the aerials are just insane and at just 2.6 miles crowded as F*CK!) Also keep in mind that just cause the parade route is 2.6 miles, doesn't mean that people only cram into the area adjacent to the 2.6 mile route......most streets around, the downtown carnival, market square, the riverwalk and dozens of other festivals are all bursting at the seams all at the same time.

Several years back I used to be scoutmaster for a boys scout troop. The parade organizers use the scouts to carry torches along the parade route. We would take all of out scouts plus the cubs who would march right behind us. They boys would have a super time. Some told me that they at first we a bit intimidated at the large crowds. Some had never seen so many people at one time. I can tell you that there were some places were the people were jammed maybe 10 deep or more. You must understand that people in SA love parades. There was a time many years ago that we would have parades at the drop of a hat. Besides the Flambeau and the Battle of Flowers, there used to be another that actually started Fiesta and it was El Rey Feo parade. Before that, we had a Western Parade to start the rodeo in February, (I hated that when I was in high school band because invariable we were placed behind a herd of horses and we got horsesh-- all over our shoes); we had an Armed Forces parade, Veterans Day parade, albeit lots smaller, and a couple of others that I cant remember. We now have two large parades downtown each year and people flock to them. So actually 450,000 to 500,000 is really normal now for the Flambeau. If you have never attended one I recommend you do and see for yourselves the throngs of people. They are especially loud when approaching Commerce and St. Mary's where you have several tall buildings and thousands of people shouting, or when you go underneath the freeways. Stands are set up along on Broadway where they really can seat thousands. Texas A&M Aggie band always leads the Battle of Flowers and the Texas Longhorn band leads the Flambeau. It's be a tradition for umpteen years. We get bands from across the country that come for the parades, so its no small thing.

Well, that's great guys, but the source is the parade organizer, and surprise! They claim to be the best. Imagine that.

500k - Seriously consider how many people that is and where the parade goes. The parade route is 2.6 miles. How much space is there for the crowd?

Think of the security needed. Think of the cleanup. How do they get there and how jammed up would the streets be when they leave?

I don't doubt they get a good crowd. No one can really say since the crowds are just estimated. Like I said it sounds like a tall tale or a one-up story.

I can see the Battle of Flowers organizers celebrating "Wow! We drew 375 thousand people this year".

Then the Flambeau guy stands and says "Oh yeah? Well we drew..." pauses and puts pinky to corner of mouth "...5 HUNDRED THOUSAND!" The evil laughter erupts...

No, those numbers are spot on. I could see the one-up thing if the numbers kept escalating year after year; see-sawing or whatever. But Flambeau has always been larger, by about a 1/3. So it's not the one-upmanship at all.

Also, if you've been there, you can understand how. Let me explain some of the logistics. First, its not like a regular parade in BFE with folk just standing on the sidewalk watching floats go by. They actually narrow the drivable part of the street by placing bleachers (large capacity - not little ones) IN the street on both sides, backed up to the curb. In places where there is open space next to the street (like a park) they will place larger bleachers there. In the places where space dosent allow for bleachers, they will set up folding chairs 8 rows deep; IN THE STREET. In fact, drive down Broadway today (its there year-round) and you can see an orange line about an inch wide running down the length of the parade route on both sides of the street . Its in the center lane of the three north-bound lanes. Same on the other side. This line shows how far out bleachers and chairs can be set. Broadway is reduced from 80 feet to 40 feet - for the entire length of the parade. Commerce less-so, but it too is reduced. So not only do people stack in from the sidewalks, they go up into the bleachers. Also, think of the density of downtown; you'll have people on every floor of a building facing the parade route watching. DPT Labs has a building across from KLRN on Broadway and they throw a big party during the parades, catered with music and such. ZI bet there's 500-1000 people in their garage alone watching the parade, hanging out, etc. Plus, and I am not kidding here, THE ENTIRE TOWN SHUTS DOWN for Battle of Flowers. Every public school district has BOF day as a holiday. Banks close. All city offices close. Some state offices close, or offer reduced staffs. Even the post-offices here close at noon. If places or businesses must do some business that day, they ususally close at noon for the parade. Everything else in town is dead. Sure the mall is open, and HEB's and Wal-Mart and such, but a ton of offices and smaller mom-and-pop shops are all closed. And yes, traffic sucks - going in and coming out. Its not as bad if you know downtown well and the side streets and where the good close parking is, but it still sucks. SAPD does a good job with security. On Broadway, at every intersection there are about 6 SAPD officers. Plus officers on rooftops and plain clothed officers in the crowd. So it's completely possible that the crowd estimates are spot-on.

For the record, BoF kicks Flambeau's ass anyday. Flambeau might be bigger, but it all started with BoF. Plus, we get off work for BoF. That right there makes it better. lol.

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"We marched five leagues over a fine country with broad plains, the most beautiful in all of New Spain. We camped on the banks of an arroyo. This I called San Antonio de Padua, because we reached it on the day of his festival." - General Domingo Teran de los Rios, June 13, 1691, in a letter to the King of Spain on the occasion of the founding of San Antonio.

^^^ I do have to say he is right. BoF is huge, my friend from Kerrville was so confused last year because he didn't understand why he had that one, very hot I might add, day in April off from classes. I remember climbing into one of the parking garages downtown because Commerce was too crowded.

You're not telling me anything I didn't know. I lived in SA for many years and know all about Fiesta and how it is a big party for the city. I know it draws big crowds. It's just that 500K, being the entire populations of Corpus Christi and Laredo combined, seems high. But if you say it's 8 Alamodome crowds then I think it could be.

I considered how much area would be available (I used 30 feet average along 2.6 miles) and calculated what was available for viewing, considered garages and bridges, factored in lawn chairs and ice chests and it just seemed impossible to accomodate that number. It would have to be NIOSA packed to come close. Of course, I'm not a statistician or know crowd estimating protocols so anything is possible.

I actually was in town the last weekend of Fiesta (not for Fiesta) last year staying at the Crowne Plaza. We came in Friday afternoon and missed the big Battle of Flowers crowd. Downtown was crowded that weekend but not any more than I remebered from the past. We didn't have any trouble getting around. I did intentionally avoid the parade (don't care for them), so I guess several hundred thousand could have come and gone while I was in Southtown? Maybe one year I'll stick around....
Who am I kidding? I'd rather just agree to the 500k estimate